Surgery for testicular cancer

Surgery for testicular cancer

Radical inguinal orchiectomy: With a radical inguinal orchiectomy, your surgeon will remove the testicle with the tumor, as well as the spermatic cord that connects the testicle to the abdomen.

Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection: If your doctor suspects that the cancer cells may have spread to nearby lymph nodes, this procedure may be performed at the same time, or during a second surgery.

During this type of surgery for testicular cancer, an incision is made in the abdomen, and lymph nodes behind the abdomen are removed and examined by a pathologist for evidence of tumor cells. In some cases, the surgeon may be able to perform this operation by making a much smaller incision and using a narrow, lighted tube (a laparoscope) to see inside the abdomen, and long surgical instruments to remove the lymph nodes.

Patients generally recover faster and have fewer complications after laparoscopic surgery than after a standard open procedure. In other cases, your doctors may follow the retroperitoneal lymph nodes by computerized tomography (CT) scans to see if they grow.